Bearing shells for ball and socket joints especially for motor vehicles are known, for example, from DE 29 617 276 U1. DE 29 617 276 U1 discloses a ball and socket joint, which is extrusion-coated according to a one-component process and in which the bearing shell is produced from a single plastic according to the injection molding technology. This design leads in practice to the problem that when a relatively favorable plastic is used, it is either well suited tribologically in the unreinforced form but lacks sufficient strength, or it possesses good strength properties only if it is reinforced with fibers. However, the fiber reinforcement causes the plastic to loose its good tribological properties. In addition, there is a risk for increased wear due to direct contact and consequently facilitated abrasion on the joint ball of the ball bearing due to the additives added to reinforce the plastic. It would be possible to offer a remedy with a material possessing good mechanical properties and at the same time good tribological properties, but such a material is disadvantageously very expensive.
A process for manufacturing a bearing shell for a ball and socket joint is known, furthermore, from DE 41 082 19 C2. DE 41 082 19 C2 describes a two-component process, in which a sliding layer is first applied to a joint ball. Another layer, consisting of a fiber braiding, is applied to this layer in another operation, which is especially suitable for this purpose. The ball pivot thus coated twice is then inserted into a mounting device, which will then be introduced into the housing of the ball and socket joint. The two-component plastic is injected, so that it embeds in itself the fiber braiding which is in contact with the surface of the joint ball and forms a bearing shell in this combination after cooling. The ball and socket joint is removed from the device after the curing of the plastic and supported with a cover. The drawback of this process is the considerable assembly effort, as a result of which the manufacture is time-comsuming, expensive and prone to errors. The separate operation necessary for applying the fiber braiding also causes additional costs.
The low-pressure process is used for the low-flow application of film and textile decoration backings for the aesthetic covering of plastic moldings for the interior trim of vehicles.